Article packing device



Nov. 15, 1960 R. A. LANCASTER ARTICLE PACKING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 19, 1958 Nov. 15, 1960 R. A. LANCASTER 2,959,903

ARTICLE PACKING DEVICE Filed Sept. 19, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ffirz if I o o L 1 5712.4

ARTICLE PACKING DEVICE Robert A. Lancaster, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to West ern Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 19, 1958, Ser. No. 762,097

2 Claims. (Cl. 53246) This invention relates to article packing devices and more particularly to devices for automatically positioning articles in a plurality of compartments of a container.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a device for packing articles in a container.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device for positioning flat circular elements face to face in compartments of an elongated container.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device wherein telephone transmitter grids are fed from a rotating table, through a chute, and into compartments in an intermittently advanced container.

With these and other objects in mind, the present invention contemplates a rotating table positioned adjacent to a chute which leads to a compartmented container. A stop mechanism positioned in the chute is intermittently actuated in timed relationship with intermittent movements of the container whereby the transmitter grids are dropped into the compartments of the container.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a device embodying the principles of the invention and showing the manner in which transmitter grids are cammed off of a table;

Fig. 2.is a fragmentary front view of the device with a portion broken away to illustrate the configurations of elements supporting the transmitter grids in the rotating table;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary View of the lever operated clutch;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 1, illustrating the manner in which the transmitter grids are deflected from the rotating table;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front view of the device showing the configuration of the cams that operate the stop mechanism in the chute;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the construction of that portion of the device which is pivotable into the container for forming compartments therein; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective View of a telephone transmitter grid which is to be packaged by the device of the present invention.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, a base 11 is shown supporting a rotatably mounted table 12 adapted to be driven at a uniform speed by a motor 13. The table 12 is provided with a plurality of pairs of cylindrical recesses 16 for receiving telephone transmitter grids 17 which are to be packaged by the device. Each of the pairs of recesses 16 has slidably mounted therein a pair of cylindrical members 18 secured to a bracket 19 which is in turn threadably attached to a pin 22 extending downward through a recess 23 in the table 12. Compression springs 24 engage the ends of the bracket 19 to normally urge the bracket 19 and the members 18 downward.

A cam 27 mounted on the base 11 engages the lower- States Patent 0 2,959,903 Patented Nov. 15, 1960 most portions of the pins 22 to force the elements 18 upward against the compression of the springs 24 for pushing the grids out of the recesses 16. The cam 27 extends in a circular path and is of a uniformly increasing height. The pins 22 ride along the upper surface of the cam 27.

A pair of deflecting elements 28 and 29 extend at an angle across the table 12 for engaging the grids 17 and deflecting them off the table 12 and into a chute 32 hav' ing passages 33 and 34. The grids 17 dropping into the passage 33 pass over an edge 35 and are turned into a vertical plane. The grids 17 dropping into the passage 34 pass over an edge 38 and are turned into a vertical plane, the grids dropping into the passages 33 and 34 in facing relationship.

A wheel 42 rotatably mounted on a shaft 43 mounted rotatably on the base 11 is provided with a plurality of projecting pins 44 which are engaged by projections 47 on the rotating table 12 to cause the wheel 42 to be intermittently moved as the table 12 is continuously rotated.

A supporting framework, indicated generally by the numeral 50, is slidably mounted on the base 11 and is provided with a rack 51 extending through a slot 53 (Figs. 1, 2 and 5) in the base 11 and meshing with a gear 52 which is driven through gears 55 and 56 as the wheel 42 is intermittently moved, the gear 56 being secured to the shaft 43. In this manner the supporting framework 50 is intermittently advanced as the table 12 is rotated.

The supporting framework 50 carries a replaceable container 60 into which the transmitter grids 17 are to be packed. A plurality of elements 61 secured at spaced intervals to rods 62 are pivotably supported on the framework 50 by pins 66 and enter the container 50 to serve as compartments therein. A handle 63 is provided for pivoting the elements 61 about the pivot pins 66 to move the elements 61 into and out of the container 60. Fig. 6 illustrates the positions of the various parts when the elements 61 are pivoted out of the container 60.

The wheel 42 is provided with a plurality of camming members 67 which engage a stop 68 secured to pins 69 and 70 extending through the passages 33 and 34 and slots 74 and 75 (Fig. 2) in the chute 32. A tension spring 71 (Fig. I) normally urges the stop 68 to the position illustrated in Fig. 2. The stop 68 is provided for insuring that the transmitter grids 17 drop into the container 60 only when the framework 50 is stationary.

In order to manually move the framework 50 and the container 60, a lever 78 may be moved to disengage a clutch segment 79 of a conventional type from the wheel 42. A portion 81 secured to the shaft 43 is provided with a projection 82 slidably positioned in a slot 83 in the segment 79 for connecting the segment to the shaft 43. The segment 79 is provided with pins (Fig. 3) adapted to enter apertures 84 in the wheel 42 so as to cause the intermittently advanced wheel 42 to advance the framework 50 in intermittent steps in timed relationship with the wheel.

A limit switch 85 is connected to the motor 13 and is opened by a bar (Fig. 2) when the framework 50 reaches its extreme or loaded position to thereby stop the table 12 until the container 60 can be removed and replaced. A foot switch (not shown) is opened and held open by an operator as the container 60 is replaced and as the framework 50 is manually returned to the starting position.

In operating the device to pack transmitter grids 17 in a container 60, the grids 17 positioned in the recesses 16 in the table 12 are advanced toward the deflecting elements 28 and 29. As the grids 17 approach the elements 28 and 29, the pins 22 ride upward on the cam 27 and force the grids 17 out of the recesses 16 and into position to be deflected from the table 12 by the elements 28 and 29.

As the grids 17 leave the table 12, through the urging of succeeding grids, those grids deflected by the element 28 drop over the edge 38 and those deflected by the element 29 drop over the edge35. -In falling over the edges 38 and 35, the pairs of grids17 drop into the chute 32 in 21 facing relationship and are then stopped by the pin 69. As the table 12 continues to rotate, a projection 47 on the table 12 engages a pin 44 on the wheel 42 and rotates the Wheel, whereupon the stop 68 is moved by one of the camming members 67 to permit the grids 17 held by the pin 69 to drop into engagement with the pin 70. When the stop 68 clears the camming member 67, these grids will drop into the container 60 between two adjacent elements 61.

The framework 50 and the container 60 are then advanced in the manner described above by the rack 51 and the pinion 52 to move the container a distance equal to the distance between the elements 61 before the next pair of grids 17 drop thereinto.

The above-described procedure is automatically repcated until the bar 90 opens the limit switch 85, the container 60 being completely filled at this time. The operator then opens the foot switch (not shown), open ates the handle 63 to pivot the elements .61 out of the container 60 (see Fig. 6), and operates the handle 78 to disengage the shat-t 43 from the wheel 42.

The operator then removes the filled container 60, replaces it with an empty container, and operates the handle 53 to pivot the elements 61 into the empty container 60. The framework 50 is then manually returned to starting position, the handle 78 is operated to connect the wheel 42 to the shaft 43, and the foot switch is closed. Upon the closing of the foot switch, the table 12 begins to rotate and the framework is intermittently advanced to fill the container 60 as described above.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of this invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for positioning articles in compartments of a container, comprising a base, a chute on the base, movable means for supporting the container beneath the chute, means for feeding articles into the chute, .a movable stop attached to the chute for regulating the passage of articles through the chute so as to cause said articles to drop from the chute one at a time, a wheel rotatably mounted on the base, cam means secured to and carried by the wheel for engaging and actuating the stop to drop the articles from the chute one at a time, means driven by the wheel for moving the support means intermittently so as to sequentially position the compartments of the container beneath the chute, and means for driving the wheel.

2. A device for positioning articles in a container, comprising a base, a movable framework on the base for supporting an elongated container, partitioning means pivotally mounted on the framework and having a plurality of spaced parallel elements for entering the container to define compartments therein, a rotatably mounted table on the base having a plurality of spaced recesses for receiving articles, a plurality of movable members positioned in the recesses for supporting articles therien, said members having pins projecting beneath the table, an elongated cam on the base for engaging the pins to move the members upward for ejecting the articles from the recesses, a chute positioned adjacent to the table, a deflector element mounted on the base and extending across the table for deflecting the articles ofi the table and into the chute, a pivotally mountedstop having a pair of spaced article-engaging pins projecting through the chute to regulate the passage of articles through the chute and permit the articles to pass through the chute one at a time, a motor for driving the table, said table having a plurality of spaced projections depending therefrom, a shaft rotatably mounted on the base, a wheel rotatably mounted on the shaft and having a plurality of spaced pins adapted to be engaged by the projections of the table for causing the wheel to be intermittently rotated as the table is continuously rotated, a rack secured to the framework, a first gear secured to the shaft, a plurality of other gears interconnecting the first gear and the rack, a clutch mounted on the shaft for connecting the wheel to the rack through the gears so as to cause intermittent movement of the framework, and a plurality of cam elements secured to the wheel for engaging and actuating the stop in timed relationship with the intermittent movement of the framework so as to sequentially position the compartments beneath the chute as the articles drop therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 705,037 Christ July 22, 1902 1,397,060 Slack Nov. 15, 1921 1,471,354 Pope Oct. 23, 1923 1,775,255 Risser Sept. 9, 1930 1,806,131 Stull May '19, 1931 2,755,978 Schoenewolf July 24, 1956 2,828,592 Bergsland et al Apr. 1, 1958 

